Chris Varga: Breathe

Setting up shop as a jazz artist in Seoul, South Korea, is probably not the recommended way of raising the profile in the United States. But vibraphonist Chris Varga, who worked the jazz scene in Chicago during the '90s, made that trans-Pacific move and set himself up as a busy and prolific player in Korea's vibrant jazz scene.

Coming back stateside for an extended stay in 2024, Varga took advantage of the opportunity to put together a quintet of top-notch Chicago-based players to record Breathe for Calligram Records, the label started by trumpeter Chad McCullough and saxophonist Geof Bradfield in 2023, with the apparent goal of showcasing some of Chicago's best and brightest.

On a blind listen, Varga's Breathe could be mistaken for a Blue Note Records set—not the classic '50s and '60s Blue Note, but the more exploratory, 2024 to 2025 edition, featuring vibraphonist Joel Ross, trumpeter Marquis Hill and tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana. Varga's quintet is every bit as ass-kicking as those you will find on Blue Note. It features Geof Bradfield, tenor saxophonist and co-founder of Calligram Records, guitarist Dave Miller, in addition to acoustic bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Neil Hemphill. The group establishes a loose groove on the opener, "Durantula," a tribute to the Phoenix Suns' basketball star Kevin Durant. Here, and throughout the entire album, Varga's compositional touch is idiosyncratic, structured with loose architectures and adept interplay in a sort of hot grooving chamber jazz style.

The title tune sounds like an immersion in nature, a letting go in a pastoral setting, using intertwined melodies and a zen blues mode.

The interplay between the vibes and the guitar gives the sound a surreal quality at times, resulting in so much glowing sustain, woven together and overlain so well. On "Framing the Dragon" Varga lets the influence of 1980s pop music—specifically Depeche Mode—come to the fore in this brooding melody, and saxophonist Bradfield lays down a sharp, intricate sax solo leading into the leader's otherworldly vibes turn.

The seat closes with "Gentle Vicissitudes," an adaptation of the Korean folk song, "About 500 Years." It is a lovely, placid eight minutes, featuring a tangy solo by guitarist Miller. A pensive gem of a tune that is the perfect choice to close out the show..

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